Sheet-delivery apparatus.



G. HENDERSON.

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 001217, 1910.

1,078,351 Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

L SHBETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOCKRAPI! C0,,WASHINOTON. D412.

G. HENDERSON.

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED OOT.17, 1910.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOOIIAI'H 120-. WMIHINUTON. u. c.

G. HENDERSON.

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 17, 1910.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

4 $HEETS-SHEET 3.

Milli:

C. HENDERSON.

SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED 001217, 1910.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT 4.

COLUMBIA PLANCIORAPM cu, \vAsmNu'roN. n. c.

UNTTED snares PATENT OFFTCE.

CARL HENDERSON, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MIEI-ILE PRINTING PRESS AND MFG. C0,, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SHEET-DELIVERY APPARATUS.

Application filed October 17, 1910.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, CARL HENDERSON, of Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Delivery Apparatus; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improvement in sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses and the like; of the type shown in my U. S. Patents Number 97 3,4128, October 18, 1910, and Number 974:,062, October 25, 1910, wherein the sheets are delivered from the press tapes to the receiving table by means of sheet carriers which engage only the out ermost side margins of a sheet as it comes from the press tapes and carry said sheet onward to the point of deposit, where the carriers permit the sheet to drop onto the receiving table.

The object of the present invention is to enable a large sheet printed on the press to be severed or cut in two; and each of the severed parts to be delivered by carriers en gaging their edges substantially as described in my aforesaid patent. In order to enable this to be done I employ in the present inventionin. connection with what is shown in my aforesaid patents-an intermediate set of sheet carriers, preferably tapes, adapted to engage the adjacent inner margins of the two side by side sheets severed from the large sheet, and to hold the inner margins of said sheets while the outer margins thereof are respectively held by the outer sheet carriers as described in my aforesaid patents. In short, my present invention enables two sheets (cut from a single large sheet) simultaneously brought forward on the press tapes to be handled and delivered by mechanism substantially similar to and operating on the principle of the novel sheet delivering mechanisms described and shown in my aforesaid patents.

I will now describe the present invention as used in connection with the delivcringmcchanism shown in my said Patent Number 971,062, so that any one familiar with said mechanism will be readily enabled to COI1 struct and use the present invention in conneetion therewith.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

Serial No. 587,564.

of a sheet delivery apparatus embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinalsection thereof on line 22, of lug. 1, showing the central carriers. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line Ft, Fig. 2, showing the sheet arresting devices. Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. Fig. (3 is a plan view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 77, Fig. 2. Fig. 8 a detail view of cam and lever. Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9, Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is an elevation of the whole device.

In the drawings I have shown the invention applied to a sheet printing press such as the well known Miehle press, which has an impression cylinder co-acting with a reciprocating type bed to print sheets of paper. The printed sheets pass from said cylinder into cooperating pairs of endless tapes 1%, l3, such as are usually employed in sheet printing presses to receive the sheets from the cylinder and carry them over to the point of discharge. explained in my aforesaid patents, the sheets are discharged from the tapes l B, to and between a pair of opposite outer sheet carriers-prcferablv endless tapcs-mounted upon laterally adjustable supports or astings 3; which castings are mounted upon transversely disposed bars 9 and 9 located above and at opposite ends of the ordinary sheet receiving table C.

Mounted on each support 3 are sheet engaging devices or carriers which preferably cons st of a pair of endless tapes 1 and arranged in position to receive between them the outer edges of the sheets lying on. or con'iing from, the tapes l), B. Each endless carrier 1 runs over pulleys 1, 1 mounted on opposite ends of a bar 1, as descibed in my Patent N umber 9T -;l-.,0G2. And each endless carrier 2 runs over rollers 2*, 2, and intermediate roller 2 attached to a bar 2 as described in my Patent $)7-l-,0($2. The bar 1 is preferably adapted to risi and fall vertically; and the bar 2 to move laterally. This bar 2 is normally supported and maintained in exact parallelism with the bar 1 by having its opposite ends seated upon supports on the casting 3,so that the bar 2 is slidable laterally, to enable carrier 2 to be moved from beneath. the carrier 1, bar 2 being shifted laterally by means of bellcrank levers 2 one arm of which engages pins on the under side of bar 2 and the other arms of said levers being pivotally connected together by a tie-rod 2 The bell-crank lever 2 nearest shaft 4t engages a race-cam e on shaft l, (Fig. 9); which cam is so shaped that at the proper time the bar 2 will be moved so as to withdraw carrier 2 from beneath carrier 1, and then re turn it to position thereunder, as fully explained in my Patent No. 97%,002, aforesaid. The parts are so arranged that the supports 3 may be adjusted laterally so that the outermost side edges of a sheet or sheets coming from the tapes B will be gripped by and between the endless carriers or tapes 1 and 2, and will me held thereby and carried to and above the table G, at which point the carriers are caused to release the edges of the sheet, and the latter drops onto the table C.

YVhile I have referred to and will describe pairs of endless tapes as the preferred means used on the supports 3 for conveying the sheets; other means might be employed, such as pairs of rollers driven at variable speed and adapted to bite the edges of the sheets as described in my application Serial Number 560,871, filed May 12, 1910. lVhen the endless tape carriers are employed, as described in my first mentioned applications, 1 preferably provide means for arresting the sheets just before they reach the point of dropping. Such sheet arresting devices preferably comprise a lower member 7 adapted to underlie the edges of the sheet, and an upper member 8, which is pivotally mounted on a rock arm and operated by suitable mechanism, as described in my said Patent Number 97%,062, so that when sheets are to be dropped, and as the tapes release their grip on the sheet, the members 7 and S engage the edges of the sheet near the tail end thereof and retard the same and then permit it to drop. Preferably, as explained in my aforesaid applications, just before the sheet is stopped the carriers are slightly separated so as to release the sheet and then the lower carriers are withdrawn from beneath the margins of the sheet so that the latter can drop easily and freely onto the table G.

Both the right and left hand outermost sets of sheet carriers described above are constructed and operated alike; and the supports 3 are preferably made adjustable on the bars 9 and 9? so that they can be set to take any desired width of sheet between them.

As thus far explained the delivery apparatus is constructed and operated substantially as described in my Patent 974,062 aforesaid.

It is frequently desired to print two small sized sheets simultaneously at each operation of the press; as for example, two halfsiZe sheets can be printed at one operation of the press by the use of two forms as readily as one large-sized sheet; and it is therefore customary in many ofiices to use two forms and print from both at one operation on a large sized sheet and after ward sever such sheet. The object of the present invention is to enable the press to be operated in this manner, and the large sheet to be severed and each half thereof, or each small sheet, to be delivered by marginal sheet carriers, in the manner described in my said applications; in other words to enable two sheets to be taken simultaneously from the press tapes and delivered side by side, by means of carriers which engage only the outermost margins of such sheets.

I will now describe one mechanism in which'this invention is embodied by which two sheets can be simultaneously delivered.

At a suitable point between the impression cylinder and the discharge end of the press tapes B, B, I arrange a pair of cutters or slitters s, of ordinary construction indicated in Fig. 10), adapted to longitudinally divide the large sheets as they pass from the cylinder or before they leave the tapes B, B.

hlounted between the supports 3, 3, and in line with the slitters s, I arrange a third set of sheet carriers, which may be of any suitable construction. As shown this third setof carriers is mounted onupper and lower bars 10 and 20. The bar 10 is connected at its rear or outer end to a bracket 90, hung upon the bars 9. And the inner end of the bar 10 is connected to hangers 61 suspended from a rock-shaft 60 which extends transversely of the fame at the inner end of and above table C; said shaft being mounted in standards or brackets F attached to the side frames of the press. In this way bar 10 can be held in fixed position above the path of the sheets and parallel with the opposite supports 3, 3. On opposite sides of bar 10 are mounted tape rollers 10 which guide an endless tape 10 that passes at its inner end, beyond the bar 10 over a pulley 10,- mounted on the adjacent upper tape roll shaft 13 of the press, so that the tape or carrier 10 will be caused to travel in the direction of movement of the upper tapes l3, and at the same speed thereof. Journaled in the bracket 90 adjacent the outer, or rear, end of the bar 10 is a tape roller 10 over which the outer end of carrier 10 runs as shown in Fig. 2. Parallel with and below the bar 10 is a bar 20", which is provided with opposite tape guiding rollers 10 and is hung at its outer or rear end by a link 90 from the outer end of the bracket 90 the link 90 being pivotally connected to the said bracket and bar, as shown. The inner end of bar 20 is pivotally connected to the upper end of a rocking lever 2O which is pivoted at 9O on a bracket 90 attached to bar 9, and this lever 20 has a depending arm 20, which is adapted to Contact with a cam all) on the through shaft 1-, which is arranged and driven as described in my aforesaid application, and carries the cams which operate the bars 1 and 2, on the carriers ()n the opposite ends of bar 20 are rollers 20 and 20" over which run an endless carrier 20, the intervening portion of which is guided by the rollers 20 on bar 20 The bar 20 may be normally held or pressed upwardly to ard bar by any suitable means, as by a spring interposed between the bracket 90 and arm 20 of the lever 20 which spring holds the arm 20 against cam 40, and rocks the lever in a manner to keep bar 20 raised, so that the upper run of carrier 20 will contact with the lower run of: carrier 10. The cam is so arranged that at the n'oper time during each rotation of the shaft 4:, the lever 20 is rocked against the action of spring 2O in a direction to cause bar 20" to lower away from bar 10 and thus separate the adjacent runs of the carriers 10 and 20 and cause them to release the inner edges oil? sheets lying therebetween. hen the lever 20 is rocked in the opposite direction by spring 20 bar 20 will rise toward bar 10 and cause the carriers to engage the sheets.

hen the press is to simultaneously print two small sheets, the brackets 90 and 90 are adjusted on the bars 9 and 9 so as to move the end bars 10 and 20 directly in line with the slitters s, so thatthe carriers 10 and 20 will engage the inner adjacent margins of both the sheets S, S, brought forward on the tapes l3, B, said sheets lying close together at their inner edges. The castings 3 are also adjusted so that the carriers 1 and 2 thereon will respectively engage the outermost margins of the adjacent sheet. In other words the outer edges of ach sheet is engaged by the carriers 1, 2, on the adjacent support 3; while the inner edge of such sheet is engaged by the carriers 10, 20. Each sheet in a pair therefore carried forward to the point of delivery by means of carriers engaging its outermost and innermost edges only; and each is carried to and released at the dropping point, as described in my aid applications.

In order to assist in checking the sheets prior to dropping them, sheet arresting devices constructed substantially as described in my said applications may be used in connection with the intermediate carriers 10 and 20. But as shown in the drawings I ireterably en'iploy in connection with the carriers 10 and 20 arresting devices, as shown in t6; which consist of lower sheetarrcsting members 70, one adjustably attached to each side of the bar 20 by means of screws or other suitable means, so that members 70 can be attached to the bar at ditterent points, to enable the devices to properly operate on ditlerent lengths of sheets. Cooperating with each lower member 70 is an upper member 80, which is pivotally connected to the lower end of a lever 81, which is in turn pivoted at 81 on a pin 82 transtixing a slotted block 88 mounted upon the bar 10 and adjustably secured thereon by means of a set screw 83. The members may be kept from tilting too much on levers 81 by stop-pins 80. The upper end of each lever 81 has an inwardly extending linger 84 which lies behind a rocking lever 85, pivoted on the pin 81 intermediate the upper ends of levers Set, and occupying a slot in the upper part of block 82, above which the lever 85 projects. The upper ends of the levers 81 may be drawn inward toward the lever 85, by any suitably arranged springs,-for example by means of springs 86, so as to press the members 80 yieldingly toward or against: the members TO; the extent of movement of the levers 8]. being controlled by the lever 85, and an adustable stop bolt 87, tapped through a projection on the upper side of block 82.

The members 70 and 80 are normally separated, and the time of their engagement is controlled as follows: A rod 18 extends througl'i an opening in the upper end of the lever 85 and is pivotally connected at 18 to a lever 18", attached to the rock-shaft G0. On the outer end of this rock-sh a H is an arm 62, which has a curved lower end 623, that is adapted to engage a cam 4-2 on the shaft 4-, see Fig. 8, and said cam 42 is so constructed and timed that at the moment that the sheetarresting devices on the supports 3 engage the outer edges of the sheets, clamp members 80 move toward clamp members 70, and engage the inner edges of the sheets. The several parts are so timed that after the sheets have been carried by the outer and intermediate sets of sheet carriers to the point of deposit, the carriers in each set are slightly separated-this being accomplished as regards carriers 10 and 20, by bar 2(" being moved by the action of cam el-tl slightly away from bar 10 The moment that the carriers release their grip on the edges of the sheetscam 42 operates lever '62 through arm 18 and rod 18 is shifted to permit the clamp members 80 to close upon clamp members 70 and thus engage the inner edges of the sheets and arrest them; then bar 20" continues to descend until the members 80 reach the limitof their movement and the clamps 70 separate therefrom, thus freeing the inner edges of the sheets and permitting them to freely drop onto the receiving table. The time of operation of lever 85 by rod 18 can be regulated by a collar 18 adjustably attached to said rod.

Each sheet, itwill be observed, is delivered from the press tapes to the receiving table substantially as described in my aforesaid applications; and by means of this invention two sheets can be simultaneously delivered side by side in such manner.

\Vhen it is not desired to use the intermediate sets of sheet carriers 10 and 20, the bar 20 can be removed by disengaging bracket 90 from bar 9, and link 90 from bracket 90, whereupon large single sheets can be delivered by the carriers on the supports 3, as described in my aforesaid applications. need not be removed as they will notinterfere with the larger sheets. They can, however, be detached if desired, by removing the rock-shaft from its bearings and disconnecting bracket 90 from the bar 9 lVhile I have described one specific form of intermediate carrier which I have found practically useful, I do not consider the invention restricted to such specific construction, and in my aforesaid applications I have shown three different forms of sheet carriers, any of which might be readily adapted by a mechanic for use as intermediate sheet carriers, and I therefore consider the invention includes any mechanism whereby two or more sheets can be brought forward side by side and delivered together; and each sheet be transferred from the press tapes to the point of delivery by means of carriers engaging only the outermost edges of such sheet.

hat I claim is:

1. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, adapted to simultaneously deliver two side by side sheets, comprising three parallel pairs of opposed endless carriers adapted to engage only the outer and inner side edges of the sheets; means to cause the parallel. runs of the carriers in each pair to separate and release the edges of the sheets lying therebetween; and means for moving the lower outermost carriers from beneath the sheets to permit them to drop.

2. Sheet delivery mechanism, comprising two outer pairs and one intermediate pair of co-acting endless carriers adapted to engage only the outer and inner edges of side by side sheets; means for causing the parallel runs of the carriers in each pair to positively bite the side edges of the adjacent sheet; means for separating the carriers to release the sheet; and means for moving the lower outermost carriers from beneath the sheets to drop the latter.

3. Apparatus for delivering two sheets side by side en'ibodying pairs of directly opposing endless carrier tapes located at each side of each sheet and gripping the proxi- The upper bar 10 and tapes 10 mate edges thereof only, such tapes traveling in the direction of the feed; means for causing the tapes to release the sheets at the proper time, means for arresting the released sheets at the point of deposit; and means for moving the lower outermost tapes from beneath the sheets to drop the latter.

4. Delivery mechanism for printing presses adapted to deliver two sheets side by side; comprising pairs of endless tapes arranged at opposite sides of the pat-h of the pair of sheets and adapted to engage the outermost edges of such sheets; an intermediate pair of endless tapes adapted to engage the inner edges of both sheets, means forseparating the tapes in each pair to allow the sheets to drop therefrom; means adapted to engage the tails of the sheets, and arrest them at the dropping point, and means for moving the lower outermost tapes from beneath the released sheets.

5. In combination with side carriers adapted to engage the outer margins of sheets, of an intermediate carrier adapted to engage the inner margins of the sheets and comprising an upper bar, a detachable lower bar, carriers on said bars, and means for separating the bars.

6. Means adapted to engage the margin of a sheet comprising an upper bar, rollers on said bar, a lower bar, means for suspending said lower bar beneath the upper bar, rollers on said lower bar, and a cam and lever for separating the bars.

7. In combination with adjustable side carriers adapted to engage the outer margins of sheets; of a detachable intermediate carrier adapted to engage the inner margins of the sheets and comprising an upper bar, a lower bar movable to and from the upper bar, detachable means for supporting the lower bar, rollers on said bars, and means for raising and lowering the lower bar.

8. A sheet carrier adapted to engage the margins of a sheet comprising an upper bar, rollers on said bar, endless tapes running over said rollers; a lower bar, means for removably suspending said lower bar beneath the upper bar; rollers on said lower bar, an endless tape running over said rollers; a spring, and cam and lever for operating the lower bar.

9. In combination upper and lower bars, and sheet forwarding devices thereon; a sheet arresting device comprising clampmembers attached to one bar, levers pivotally mounted upon the opposite bar, clampmembers attached to said levers, a rocking controlling lever, and a cam and connections for operating the rocking lever to cause the opening or permit the closing of the clamp.

10. In combination with a sheet carrier, a sheet arresting device comprising a relatively fixed member, a spring pressed pivoted lever, a sheet engaging device pivoted on In testimony that I claim the foregoing said lever opposite the relatively fixed memas my own, I afiix my signature in presence her, a rocking lever engaging the upper end of two Witnesses.

of said pivoted lever to control the move- CARL HENDERSON. Inent thereof in one direction, and cam actu Witnesses:

ated means for timing the movement of said PERCY G. SHAW,

rocking lever. ROY M. KINDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

